The Forbidden Secret
by FatefulDestiny
Summary: Alyss Nighthawk was the only one who knew of the clone army's existence after her master, Sifo-Dyas, perished. Now, 10 years later, it was revealed. With the inevitability of a war coming closer, unanswered questions may surface in ways she never imagined. Slight AU, but won't deviate from the main timeline.
1. Revelation of a Secret

**Hey guys, Alyss here! This is a slight AU on which my OC, Alyss Nighthawk, was the Padawan of Master Sifo-Dyas before he died, and she was the only other one who knew of the plans of an army for the Republic. I will probably release character profiles today as well in the next chapter just so y'all can have a better understanding of who my main OCs are. I hope y'all enjoy! (This is set in 32 BBY)**

* * *

Bringing both sabers up in an _x_ , I blocked Kayln's overhead cleave and shoved forwards. Reflexes driving me forwards, I moved with the momentum and swung at two points, her legs and upper torso.

Doing so caused Kayln to fall back, blocking both strikes. Pressing the advantage, I continued attacking, swinging both lightsabers at different points to make it difficult to defend.

After a few moments more, I swung both sabers at her head, expecting her to block. But instead, she ducked and stepped back. In the blink of an eye, she reversed her grip on the green-bladed saber and lunged.

Falling back, I blocked the furious strikes, trying to angle them away. Kayln came on, relentless, maneuvering her lightsaber to try and find an opening. Her Mikashi footwork kept her balanced as she lunged and parried any attacks I managed to make.

The surprise that equated from her sudden switch slowly ebbed off, and training kicked back in. Reaching the edge of the arena, I stopped backing up and stood still, gaining a blade lock with Kayln.

Her face was screwed up in concentration, my face mirroring hers. Straining to press back, I disengaged and ducked, her saber flashing above my head.

Rolling to the side, I came up in an upwards cleave, forcing Kayln back. Gaining the advantage again, I pressed her back. Falling into a natural rhythm with two lightsabers, I attacked with a seemingly peace-like nature.

After a few minutes of going around the arena, again and again, I managed to gain the upper hand in a blade lock. Sliding my main lightsaber down to her hilt, I twisted inwards and up. Her lightsaber flew upwards and clattered a few meters away, deactivated.

Panting, I deactivated both lightsabers and hung mine on my belt. Putting the other back on the training rack, I turned to Kayln, who was retrieving her lightsaber from the arena floor with a slight smile on her face.

Walking towards her, I called out,

"That was a great move, switching to the reverse grip. Are you planning on studying it further?"

Kayln shook her head,

"I'm not sure. Studying it will conflict with my style of Mikashi, and I don't want to have to relearn another style."

I nodded,

"That's understandable. I'm sure you will figure something out, though."

She nodded and smiled.

"You're getting really good at Jar'Kai. I suppose you are going to ask Sifo-Dyas to let you study it further?"

I scuffled my feet, embarrassed by the praise. Unlike Kayln, who took compliments in a stride, I never knew how to respond to them.

"I may," I finally replied, "I'll have to ask him later."

Opening her mouth to reply, she was cut off by a small scuffle.

Whirling around, I saw a young boy sitting near the walls of the arena. He looked no older than 10 and had sandy colored hair. I could sense the Force flowing through him, but it was wild and uncontrolled.

Frowning slightly, I called out to him,

"What's your name?"

The boy looked startled, not expecting to be addressed. With a slight tremor, he answered,

"My-my name is Anakin Skywalker. I'm a Padawan."

 _Anakin Skywalker_. The name rang a bell. About a month ago Master Qui-Gon Jinn had discovered a Force-sensitive boy on Tatooine by the name of Anakin Skywalker. Qui-Gon had claimed that Anakin was the Chosen One who was supposed to bring balance to the Force.

When Master Qui-Gon had died at the hands of a Sith on Naboo, his former Palawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi had taken over his apprenticeship, personally vouching for Anakin to be trained since he was overage.

I smiled at him and opened my mouth to respond with my and Kayln's name when the doors whooshed open. Spinning around, I saw who must have been Master Obi-Wan running in, eyes scanning the arena.

Spotting Anakin, he rushed over to him and herded him out the door, all while having a muted argument with him. Kayln and I watched in silence. Waiting until the doors closed, Kalyn turned to me and commented,

"So that was the Chosen One? The one from Tatooine?"

"I guess so," I replied, surprised. "I thought he was a bit younger, though. He looked about 10."

"It must have been a huge act of the Council to allow him to train as a Padawan at this age," Kayln responded, the added with an afterthought, "I suppose that it was the same case as Eeth Koth, however. It would have been too risky to not train him."

I nodded.

"You have to wonder, though. Is he truly the Chosen One? Or is the Force working through someone else, or someone unborn at that?"

Kayln shook her head,

"Only time will tell, I suppose."

A faint beeping sounded from my comlink, and I answered it.

"This is Padawan Nighthawk."

Master Dyas's voice sounded from the speakers,

"Alyss, I need to tell you something. Meet me in the courtyard where we won't be overheard."

Confusion filled my body. Why couldn't we be overheard?

I answered, forcing the confusion down,

"Yes, Master. I will be there shortly."

Cutting off the transmission, I turned to Kayln. Her eyes were filled with the same confusion that was filling my body.

Shrugging slightly, I asked her,

"I guess I'll see you later then?"

She shook her head as if surfacing from her thoughts.

"Yeah, I'll see you later."

I turned away and walked out of the arena and turned to the path towards the courtyard. As I walked, my mind drifted to random thoughts.

Memories of my apprenticeship underneath Master Sifo-Dyas were prominent. He was always outspoken and had ideas and ideals that although clashed with the Order's views, made sense.

* * *

Reaching the courtyard, I spotted my Master standing underneath one of the trees with overhanging branches. Waving to me, he beckoned me over.

Quickly crossing the courtyard, I made sure no one spotted me as I reached him. My skin tingled as he nodded once before beginning.

"As you know, the Council views my ideas to be a bit, radical. But you know what I've been sensing, the rising darkness, The Sith attack on Naboo was the final push for me."

Hesitantly, I responded, dreading the answer,

"Final push…. for what?"

He took a deep breath before continuing,

"I went behind the Council's back and went to Kamino. There, I placed an order for an army. An army for the Galactic Republic. I don't know what that Sith are planning, but there is a high chance that it will mean war."

I gasped audibly, my hand flying to my mouth. _Master Sifo-Dyas… placed an order for…. an army?_

I took a shaky breath before asking the first question that came to mind.

"How long will this army take?"

He scratched his head, contemplating an answer,

"Nobody knows for now; I have yet to find a template. Once I do, though, the Kamanoians will determine based off of the DNA."

I nodded absent-mindedly.

 _An army… A clone army… What would be the cause for a need for an army?_

My thoughts flashed to The Invasion of Naboo. The Trade Federation had used battle droids to occupy and try and stop any resistance. But they wouldn't dare to attack the Republic with them, would they?

"You really think that a war is coming, then, Master?"

He nodded silently, the said,

"You must not tell anyone of this, Alyss, you understand? The Council will call off the order as soon as they hear about it. They just don't understand."

I could see the reasoning in this,

"I understand, Master. I won't tell anyone."

He smiled for the first time this encounter and clasped my shoulder,

"Good girl. Now, I must head to Oba Diah. Chancellor Valorum has sent me and his personal aid, Silman I believe, to settle a dispute with the Pikes. He's worried that if it's not solved, it would mean a full-fledged gang war on Coruscant. I may be gone for a few days. You can consider it a break from training, or you may spar. It's your choice."

I nodded,

"I understand. Thank you, Master," Bowing, I wished him, "May the Force be with you, Master."

He bowed slightly back, "And with you, my Padawan."

I stood underneath the tree as he walked towards the courtyard's side exit that led towards the hanger. I struggled to wrap my mind around what he had just told me.

 _He created an army, without the Council's permission._

Part of me wanted to go up to the Council right now and tell them, but I held myself back. I understood why Master Sifo-Dyas had done it, I just hoped that it would be completed in time.

* * *

A day later, I found myself wandering through the corridors of the Temple. Shaking my head, I turned right, narrowly missing bumping into someone, and found myself in the Archives.

My thoughts cleared instantly. I had been wanting to look up the Kamino cloning system yesterday but hadn't found the time.

Striding through the main corridor to one of the empty terminals, I saw a helper polishing a new-looking bust. Gazing at it, I realized that it was former Knight Dooku, who had left the Order mere days after his old Padawan, Qui-Gon Jinn, had died. He was now the twentieth Knight of the Order to desert.

Reaching a terminal, I swiped my ID card and accessed the planetary files. Scrolling through the Inner Rim planets, I didn't find it. Frowning slightly, I ran a search through the planets in the Outer Rim and beyond, but no results came in from the second search either.

Double checking each sector yielded no responses as I sat there, stumped. It simply wasn't there.

As I scrolled through the lists once again, my eyes involuntarily closed, and I slipped into a vision.

* * *

 _A Republic ship was flying above the atmosphere of a multi-colored planet. Recognizing it to be Felucia, I watched as the ship started preparations to land on one of its moons._

 _Fixed firmly in the spot, I could only watch in horror as a ship came out of hyperspace and instantly bombarded the Republic ship with laser fire._

 _The burning ship was pulled into the atmosphere and spiraled out of control._

 _As it hit the surface, I felt a burning sensation and screamed wordlessly as pain and darkness overtook me._

* * *

Gasping, I jerked upwards, silent tears running down my face. Without even knowing, I knew the ship was Master Sifo-Dyas's.

Grasping my head in my hands, I shuddered and all I could think numbly was,

 _He's dead. He's dead. Forever._

* * *

 **So that's it! Chapters in this will vary in sizes, but they will be on average of 1.5k words per. Let me know what you guys think in the reviews and check back if you want to see more. The next chapter should be released in about a week. I wrote this today just to put a slight backstory behind Alyss before I start off the main chapter. (Set in 22 BBY) May the Force be with you, always.**

 **~Alyss Nighthawk**


	2. Preparation for Geonosis

Chapter Two: Preparation for Geonosis

Slowing my heartbeat, I breathed out slowly and began mediating. Clearing my mind of any stray thoughts and ideas, I focused on only the nothingness. For a while I sat there, relaxing. Then images began forming. Orbs floated around my vision, slowing forming into a face I knew all too well. He was in my best dreams and also my nightmares:

 _My late Master, Sifo-Dyas._

As I started at his face, wondering what it meant, his voice sounded from the back of my mind,

"I have created an army for the Republic..."

I was jolted from his face and thrown into a world filled with water as far as the eye could see with villages supported by pillars. I could only guess that it was Kamino based on Master Obi-Wan's report. Details of his report had not been released, but it was general knowledge that he had gone there tracking a bounty hunter.

As waves whipped around me furiously, an image formed in my mind of a humanoid doned in white armor, then another, then another, until thousands of them filled my mind, blotting out the surface of Kamino. They seemed to be clones, but of what purpose?

My mind filled with confusion, they faded away into a red desert planet. Without warning, a cry pierced the air, and I was jerked yet again into an empty arena. Even though the arena was empty, the chilling shouts still sounded. The sounds of lightsabers and blaster being fired joined the shouts.

I tried to focus on the shouts to understand what they were saying, but there were too many of them and all too loud. The shouts chilled me to the bone, leaving me numb. Shaking my head wildly, I tried to block out the shouts, to quiet my mind, but to no prevail. They kept repeating, over and over again.

After some time, beeps joined the shouts, adding to the noise. Focusing on the new sound, I was jerked out of meditation and reality settled back in. I was sitting cross-legged on the floor of my chamber in the Jedi Temple.

The shouts from my vision slowly faded away, but the beeping was persistent. Shaking my head to try and rid the numbness, I found the source of the beeping, my comlink, and pulled it out. Activating it, I responded with a slightly shaky voice,

"Nighthawk here."

There was a slight crackle, then Kayln's voice sounded,

"Alyss, this is Kayln. Master Windu has called all Jedi in the Temple to the hanger. He says that we're going to Geonosis."

Geonosis. Something clicked in my mind; that must have been the planet that I saw in my vision. Everything fell into place. The report that came in from Master Obi-Wan Kenobi had showed him captured on Geonosis and word got out that he was to be sentenced for execution. His Padawan, Anakin Skywalker, and Senator Padme Amidala had gone to rescue him, only to be captured as well. Master Windu must be calling the Jedi together to rescue them.

Raising the comlink to my mouth again, I replied,

"Thanks Kalyn. I'll be there in a second."

Cutting off the comlink, I stood up slowly and stretched my legs out. I took a second to slow my racing heart. The vision that I had just experience was still running through my mind, trying to make sense of itself.

Calling my lightsabers to my hand, I clipped them on my belt and stepped out of my quarters. Beside me, the adjacent door _whooshed_ open, and my Padawan, Darlene Marisol, walked out.

Darlene was dressed in the normal attire of Padawans with her braid tucked back behind her raven black hair. At age 17, she was of average height and build. However, her green eyes sparkled with the wisdom of someone much older. As she exited she saw me and asked,

"Master, did you hear what Master Windu said?"

I nodded, my thoughts still jumbled,

"Yes, Kayln told me. Let's get to the hanger."

We walked briskly to the hanger, silently noting the empty corridors. 5 minutes later, we reached the door. Slowing down, we saw a slow stream of other Jedi walking in. Glancing at Darlene, we walked in and scanned the hanger. The normally quiet hanger was packed with what seemed like more than 200 Jedi, all milling about.

Glancing around, I saw Kayln standing near the back, and motioning to Darlene, I started towards her. Looking down at Darlene again, I saw that her face had lost a bit of color. Concerned, I asked,

"Are you ok?"

She glanced up quickly and replied, "Oh. Yes, Master, I'm just a bit nervous is all."

I nodded reassuringly, "I understand. It is something to be concerned about, but just trust in the Force and your training and you will do just fine." She nodded silently and smiled.

Moving my way through the crowd, I spotted Master Shaak Ti standing next to some of the other council members, Eeth Koth and Saesee Tin. Spotting her, I gave her a warm smile, and she returned it.

Master Shaak Ti had taken over the remainder of my training after Sifo-Dyas had perished. After the secret mission he had told me about for former Chancellor Valorum, the Council had sent him on a mission to Felucia, and he had never returned.

Flashes of his death still popped in my head every now and then, but they had subsided recently for some reason. I couldn't figure out why, but if my recent vision had anything to do with it, I'd find out soon enough. Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I looked up to see Kayln only meters away.

With Darlene following me, I crossed quickly over to Kayln. She seemed to sense us coming and glanced behind her. Seeing us approaching, she quickly excused herself from a conversation with another Jedi, Omar if memory served me well, before turning to us. A smile briefly touched her lips before fading as she asked,

"What do you think we're going to have to do? Master Windu never specified."

Kayln had a good point. If what Master Kenobi reported was true, then there was an unknown amount of droids being produced on Geonosis. We could stage a rescue coup, but we couldn't fight a war. We are peacekeepers, were we not?

Darlene and I offered a brief smile in return before I replied,

"I won't be surprised if we have to fight, but I haven't heard anything."

At that moment, conversation died down and I glanced around to see a small clearing around some of the Council members, Windu included. Surrounding him were Jedi Masters Trebor, Unduli, Mundi, Piell, Koth, Ti, Fisto, and Koon. If what the rumors were saying were correct, that there would be a battle, I assumed they would lead the assault.

Windu had no need to call for attention, every Jedi in the hangar was watching him intently, all transfixed by what he would say. Regardless, he quickly cleared his throat before he began. He explained about the situation with Master Kenobi and his capture on Geonosis.

"Padawan Skywalker and Senator Amidala went to Geonosis after receiving his transmission, but there has been no word any of them since. We must assume that they have been captured as well," he explained.

There was a quiet murmur throughout the hanger as he said this. Those who didn't know about it were instantly filled in by others then quickly hushed as Master Windu continued,

"Before his capture, Master Kenobi reported that the Separatists had several doid facilities on the surface of Geonosis with thousands of droids being produced inside of them. Before he could tell us more, he was apprehended and the communication was cut off."

At this, there was an explosion of hushed whispers and conversations. Listening, I heard the words _Count Dooku_ and _Trade Federation_ passed around frequently. Darlene shifted a bit beside me, and I turned towards her as she asked,

"If the Separatists are building the droids, does this mean that there will be a war soon, Master?"

I thought about my vision again. Darlene was right, there was something stirring on the horizon, but what? And if it was to come to war, then how would the Republic withstand it? We had no army of our own. Even as I thought that, though, the image of the white-armored soldiers came to me along with Sifo-Dyas' report before he died. The report that he had created an army for the Republic. Was it for this reason?

"Truth be told, I don't know," I replied hesitantly. I couldn't say anything about what I knew. If the Jedi Council knew about the clones, they hadn't publicly released any information about it. "Count Dooku surely wouldn't declare war on the republic. He's just a politic now, nothing more."

Even as I said that, I doubted myself. Sure, Dooku had once been a Jedi, but that doesn't mean that he would be above such actions. Jedi could fall to the dark side, it had happened many times during the course of the Jedi Order history. It wasn't uncommon.

Darlene seemed to consider this before replying, seemingly unconvinced,

"I understand, Master. I just have a bad feeling about this is all."

I nodded understandably.

"As do I," I agreed.

This time, Master Windu's throat clear did have an effect on the gathered Jedi, and all conversation ceased at once. With a slight incline of his head as a way of acknowledgement, he continued, his voice raised against the now loud Coruscanti traffic during the afternoon.

"Masters Unduli and I will command the air strike team while Masters Ti, Koth, and Trebor lead the assault once we reach the surface. From there, we will infiltrate the arena where Master Kenobi, Padawan Skywalker, and Senator Amidala are said to be executed. We will extract them and rendezvous with Master Yoda if any trouble should occur.

"We leave in an hour," Master Windu concluded.

The crowd of Jedi all moved at once, either to their chambers or to the adjacent hangers. I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned around to see Kalyn. She gestured behind her and said,

"Let's get to the ships. We still need to check the databank for which ones are ours."

Of course. Darlene hasn't been assigned a personal starfighter yet. We hadn't received any missions that called for individual fighters yet. I had one from when I trained under Master Ti, as did Kayln. Nodding, I motioned for Kayln to take the lead and followed her with Darlene following behind us.

There was quite a few Jedi heading towards the next hanger as well, and it took some time before we could make our way to the terminal and service droid. There was a lot of conversation being passed around, from the upcoming battle to mutterings of safety to the Force.

Reaching the terminal, I swiped my ID chip and pulled up the list of available starfighters. Selecting one, I copied the identification code and keyed in Darlene's ID code and claimed the ship. Handing the code to Darlene, she gave me a slight smile before heading off to find her ship.

I watched her go for a moment before I heard a slight cough behind me. Turning around, I saw Kayln standing behind me, arms crossed and a concerned look on her face. Giving her a questioning glance, she uncrossed her arms and asked,

"What's going on? You had a blank look on your face when I saw you in the hanger back there and your voice was shaking when you answered my comm."

Taking a deep breath, I motioned with my head to an empty space in the hanger and she followed me. Gathering my thoughts, I turned to her while we were walking and began explaining to her,

"In short, I had a vision that disturbed me. It was of," I hesitated slightly. Should I tell her what Sifo-Dyas told me? Something told me I should. If it related to what was going to happen, then what could be lost by telling her?

".. of Sifo-Dyas and what he told me before he died." I glanced at Kayln who had a carefully hidden look on her face. She motioned me to continue as we stopped at the empty space.

"When he summoned me after our training session, he had some disturbing news," I began, "He said that he had created an army for the Republic. One stationed on Kamino. My vision replayed those words and threw me into a sea of white-armored soldiers. I- I don't know what it meant."

Kayln wasn't able to hide the sharp spike of surprise that followed my explanation. In a hushed whisper, she asked, confusion in her voice,

"He did what?"

I nodded slowly,

"I don't know why, or how even. But there must be some connection to what's about to happen. The same soldiers I saw were a flash in an arena I take to be on Geonosis. They must have a part to play in the upcoming battle."

I could sense that she had tons of questions boiling inside of herself, but Kayln took a deep breath and recomposed herself. With a slight smile on her face, she nodded behind me, where Darlene was walking up to us, and said,

"Well, depends on what happens, your master's order might become clear. Don't worry."

* * *

 **(A/N) Holy cow, I can't believe it's taken me this long to update this story. I'm so sorry! I started writing this chapter, then life started getting hectic and I had to turn away from it as well as my other story (I'm working on updating it right now). Everytime I tried to pick this story up again, I realized that my writing style had changed and I could only get a couple paragraphs in before having to stop. I have the next few chapters planned out, and I hope to get them released as soon as I can. No promises, though, but I hope to release one sometime late this month or early March. I hope you enjoyed!**

 **May the Force be with you, always**

 **~Alyss**


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